Omaha daily bee., 1887-12-26
IN A DIVING SUIT.
a Plucky Young Woman Explores
the Bottom of the Lake.

New York Commercial Advertiser:
On the register of the Victoria hotel
few days since appeared the name of
Miss Emwood, whose residence is in one
of the beautiful lake cities. The young
lady is not only handsome, vivacious
and courageous, but she enjoys the dis
tinction of being one of the very few
ladies who ever went down in deep
waters in a marine divers suit. She
was one of jolly yachting party
who were spending few weeks
last summer in cruising about Lake
Erie, and who went into the mouth of
Grand river in Canada to remain over
Sunday. Not far from their anchorage
lay the fiat boat of Henry Hurd, the
famous submarine diver, fully equipped
for work. Hurd had been for some time
engaged in clearing obstacles from the
river channel, but very properly had
suspended labor for the Sabbath. The
divers craft, air pump and strange ar
NOR naturally attracted the interest Of
the yachting party, who asked all man
ner OF questions regarding them anu
their peculiar use. One of the yachts
men finally obtained permission to put
on the garment and go down. While
he was donning the rubbers and the
great copper helmet with its three great
bulls eyes, Miss Einwood asked if she
could not try it. also when her friend
came up. The old diver laughingly
assented, never dreaming that she
was in earnest, or even il she were, that
she would really dare attempt the feat.
But while the yachtsman was groveling
around the bottom of the river, she
went into the cabin, reappeared in her
bathing costume and insisted that she
was ready to put on the submarine ar
NOR. Hurd tried to dissuade her from
her purpose, but she was determined
and held him to his promise, and as her
friend stepped out of the rig she stepped
into it. The suit or armour, with the
helmet and lead weights about the
waist and on the feet weighed between
three hundred and four hundred
pounds. An unconscionable burden for
man on land, and of course beyond her
physical powers to carry alone. But as
the helmet was adjusted, and the front
bulls eye screwed into place, she
shouted goodbye to her friends. The
air pump was managed by the divers
assistant, when the young lady was half
pushed, half carried across the deck to
the ladder that extended down to the
river bottom thirty feet below. The life
line was attached and she began her
descent. She described her sensations
ON her return to terra frma as follows:
"When the helmet was put on and the
front window closed | felt for a moment
as if was in some horrible prison, and
was half inclined to screnm out. But
saw Will had gone through it all with
out trouble, and l made up my mind
that if he could could too. The most
ticklish moment, however, was when
was going down the ladder and found
myself actually in the water. 1t seemed
us if all that terrible weight must sink
me to the bottom, and once there
feared | might never come up again.
But kept on, and was surprised to find
that the farther down went the lighter
the load grew, until it seemed as if |
had no heavy weights upon me. could
breathe easily and see perfectly. The sem
sation of slowly sinking and floating was
the most delightful ever experienced. l
lost all fear and gave myself up to II
thorough enjoyment OF the most novel
experience of my life. 1t was so
strange to find myself walting-actually
walking on the g1Hyelly bed of the
river bottom, AS | threw myself back
could look up at the surface. The
bottom of the tlatboat was above me.
could see all your faces peering down at
| me and apparently more frightened
than | was myself Now and then I
could see dark shadows hit by me,
! which knew must be fishes, so stood
still for few moments to see what they
would do. Presentlya number Of perch
| and II pike,I think it was, came quite
close and eyed me inqhisitively, and
then darted away. -,
~ tried to sit down and to reach the
bottom with my hand, for. I wanted to
take up a handful of white gravel to
show you that had really been to the
bottom. But the buoyancy of the suit
was so great at that depth that had to
exert myself before l could do so.
could lift my feet and float as gently in
the water as thistle down in the air.
| laughed and tried to sing, but my own
voice in that copper helmet filed with
compressed air sounded like the boom
ing of "a bass drum. The noise was sc
loud and strong that feared it might
burst the helmet. could have re,
mained down there for hours, il you had
not given me the signal TO come rp
Ascending the ladder was easy enough
at first, but it became more and more
difficult until the heavy helmet 60,
above the surface, then l could have
/ nnnA M fnrtba. u,sthH,,S hall,